Students Volunteer at Ky Governor's Prayer Breakfast

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Asbury University students rubbed elbows with state and local leaders as they volunteered at the annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.

Sophomore Sarah Choate said volunteering at the Prayer Breakfast is a great way to learn more about Kentucky’s government leaders.

“I am studying communications and public relations, so a career in government is a possibility I have considered pursuing,” she said. “Volunteering at the Governor's Prayer Breakfast seemed like a good first step.”

While volunteering is educational, Choate says it’s also a way to give back.

“The Asbury community is one that is always mindful of serving others by putting their needs ahead of our own,” she said. “Students volunteering at the Governor's Prayer Breakfast have a unique opportunity to serve our leaders and, in a sense, give back to them as they have done so much for the Bluegrass State.”

Carolyn Ridley ’81, Asbury’s Director of Alumni Relations, serves on the steering committee for the Prayer Breakfast and is the decisive factor behind including Asbury students in the event every year. Students’ jobs range from helping with event set-up to ushering. After the Prayer Breakfast begins, they fill empty spaces at tables.

“You might be a student usher and find yourself sitting next to the Lieutenant Governor, or the head of the Department of Tourism, or the pastor of the First Christian Church in Frankfort,” Ridley said. “It’s also just a great opportunity for them just to get to hear the primary speakers, who are always nationally known.”

Ridley says taking students to the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast typifies Asbury’s commitment to Mission, engaging students in service and affirming the value of prayer in government.

“We want to support and encourage prayer among that group of people,” Ridley said. “If you read about the Prayer Breakfast online, it says the reason we gather is to pray for the Commonwealth. That’s something to encourage.”

In addition to sending student volunteers to the Prayer Breakfast, Asbury nominated two students to attend the Kentucky Student Leadership Seminar, a special session for student leaders at colleges and universities across the state. Asbury’s nominees this year are junior Mason Willoughby, who will serve as next year’s Student Body President, and junior Bethany Wallace.

Willoughby says he appreciates opportunities to network with other student leaders, sharing his experiences and learning from theirs.

“At Asbury, we strive to reach out to others, and this gives us an avenue to partner with the Governor’s Office and to reach out to other universities,” he said. “We just want to share what Asbury is about and be the light on the hill.”